The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-13
SKiNFLiNTS.
eath Gives Some spoclmons.

oy carelessly left about by an old miser
named James II. Paine, is worth par
agraph, as contrasting with the many
new-made fortunes we have grown jeal-
Gus Of This man Paine appears to be
long to an old family, and judge from
some family names, which creep into
the local items, that he was OF the family
OF Robert Treat Paine, who was signer
of theDeclaration of Independence This
Robert Treat Paine the first was Bos-
ton chap who graduated at Harvard Col
lege at the brink OF the French wars,
and, becoming clergyman, went as
a chaplain with the American troops to
Canada. lie then driftcd to Europe as
a mercantile clerk, and studied law
while there and on his return. mean
time teaching school. Ho settled at
Taunton, Mass, and was assistant pros
ecuting attorney against the British
troops in the Boston massacre.
He was in congress during much OF
the Revolution; was Encouragement of
Massachusetts,, and went on the SUI
preme bench there, where he sat until
he became deaf and could hardly hold
up his head Throughout life he bore
Che reputation OF unnecessary strict
ness and harshncss. and he is, there
fore, one of those New Englanders
about whom little is known in the rest
OF the country, because he had no SEN
timent nor breadth.
The curious nature of this family is
further testified by the career OF Robert
Treat Paines son. who bore the same
name and who died three years before
lis father at the age OF only thirty
eight. This eccentric young man had
his name changed by the legislature be-
cause he had been called Thomas Paine
originally. He said no wanted to have
y Christian name.
At college he was poet, precursor
of Longfellow and Bryant, and coming
out of school he went into n counting
house, but there he used TO write poetry
in his day-book and go out at night and
write theatrical criticisms, which nearly
broke the heart of all the Paines in
Massachusetts. Then he married Miss
Baker, an actress, when his old father
sat down on him, and he was oompell-
ed TO resort to poetry for livelihood.
which had always been bad enough.
His poems, however, made aim little
money, and he sold newspaper he had
started, which bore the curious name
OF the Federal Orary, and was published
twice a week, an agreeable compromise
IN issuing. He took enough time TO
write up the paper 10 have 1t appear
twice and no more.
Much of the time, while his father
was sitting on the bench, the young lad
was master of ceremonies at the thea
ter, the people having created that Of
fee in order to still further bewilder
and oxasperate the responsibility of
Massachusetts. The younger Paine
finally sat down to work in earnest, and
studied law with Judge Parsons, and
delivered the eulogy of Washington
when he died The Boston people of
the worldly sort swarmed around him.
and he babe fair TO become notable
advocate; but suddenly ho concluded
that money was not worth working for
il it involved 80 much mean company rs
chat of Judges, divines and social prigs.
So ne turned about picked up the play
actors again, let time take care of itself,
and died IN actual misery. or this fam
ily has come the curious Mr.. Paine. 1t
appears, who, concluding that there
was only one thing this world respected.
and that was money. went about getting
it, and then forgetting what he had
done with it 1t does indeed seem sim
GUAR that he could have put together
as much money as he d d and left it any
where IL would have turned mp.
He had friend in the piano business
named Chickering, to whom he took
somewhere about $500 900 in an old
bandana handkerchief. and asked him
70 put 1t In his safe. The money was
found in all sorts of currency. from
postage notes up TO one-thousand-dol-
lar notes. One OF the banks also re-
ported In time q deposit Of $40, 900
chere. This old man. in whose blood
probably was q disposition to be a
spendthrift, and who went away by CON-